


The Duality of Man.

by Different (Concept_Nix)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Alternian Invasion, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Human/Troll Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-05-31 11:59:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15118946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Concept_Nix/pseuds/Different
Summary: Humans. They were expanding across the galaxy at a fast pace. Quickly and efficiently mining, terraforming planets, settling, and other pursuits in their conquest of the stars. Until The Alternians, a hostile alien empire, were found. The Immediate war between Humans and Alternians was long and brutal, with casualties surpassing the millions on both sides. This is one of the stories of that war. Tavros and Jade are fighting on different army's for different reasons. Can they become something besides enemies?





	1. Commands

Jade Harley woke up. Her body and consciousness felt numb. Like nothing really mattered in the long run. Not the war. Not Her. Nothing at all.

She had dreamt about her grandfather again. Had it really been two years since he died? The pain of his death was still fresh. Still alive. It had dug into deep into Jade’s soul and cemented itself there. Refusing to budge. Jade took a deep breath to compose herself, and glanced down onto her personal watch. 0557. Just about time to get up for the day, one of the most important days in Jade's life. It was the day that she would drop.

Jade looked around her. Most of the other platoon members were still asleep, although some were awake and squirming with anticipation. The numb feeling had given way to a small, glowing excitement. Today was the day that these newly initiated members of the United Planetary Coalition were going to fight, and hopefully kill the alien menace. Jade was one of these new soldiers, and she was going to kill them all.

The wake up alarm promptly went off with a loud buzz in the sleeping bay, and with that, Jade and her platoon got out of their beds and got ready for the morning briefing.

The morning drill had been burned into her mind since her days at boot camp. Shower? Check. Uniform? Check. Breakfast? Check. Everything was going on just like any other day. Although, she had noticed in the mess hall that everyone was strangely quiet, and the air was thick with a foreboding energy. Everyone was thinking about the coming hours. Would their squads landing pod safely land? Would they even land in the right position? Would they be overrun completely? These questions could never be answered until the day was done. Jade didn’t care though. The only thing on her mind was revenge. If she died, she wouldn't know anything about it.

After Breakfast, the platoon was sent into the briefing room to wait for the details of the operation. This is where the proverbial “shit” would start to get real. John, a squad mate, and one of her oldest friends, sat next to her. Chipper as ever.

“Hey Jade.”

“Hey John.” 

“Today’s the big day! You excited? I know I am. I even secretly watched some old Earth movies on my utility watch to get myself hyped up. A movie called Con-Air was my favorite. Some guy named Nic Cage was an incredible actor!”

Jade let out a small giggle. “John what’s up with you and old, crappy movies? Are you obsessed with them or something? I swear to god all you talk about are those irrelevant, old movies and your dad’s freaky obsession with clowns.” 

“They were not clowns you dipshit they are HARLEQUINS. Let me spell it out for you. H-a-r-l-e-q-u-i-n-s.” John huffed, and he began to smirk. “Besides, my father's obsession with harlequins was a lot better than your furry phase when you were younger.” John started to laugh. “What the fuck are squiddles anyway?” 

Jade playfully smacked John’s thigh. “I was never ever a goddamn furry you fuckass, furries are weird, and those squiddles were expensive collectible memorabilia items, mind you. I could sell those squiddles right now and turn a huge profit, while you would be getting pennies on the dollar for your dad’s stupid clowns” She put a sneering emphasis on the word clowns just to annoy him.

“Whatever.” John said in defeat. “You didn't even answer my question in the first place. Are you excited for the drop today?”

“Hell-fucking-yes I’m excited. I’m ready to go. Just give me a gun and let me shoot. I'm so excited you wouldn't even believe it.” There was a ironic tone in Jade’s voice. “Every day since grandpa died has been building towards this moment for me, and now since that moment is here, I just feel more nervous than anything"

John's eyes widened. ”Dang Jade, that's the most ironic you've sounded in awhile.” John said with a nervous laugh “But yeah… I’m kinda excited... you know…” John slowly trailed off and got quiet, like he was apprehensive about something. “I’m a little freaked out about the drop though. There are a lot of risks and stuff, and what if something goes wrong? I kinda don’t wanna die...”

Jade looked into John's eyes. She couldn't really read his emotions to well. His gaze was far off. Distant. “It’s gonna be alright John. Just follow your training, and everything will be alright.” John still didn't look too convinced and let out a small sigh. Jade spoke again, trying to sound as brave as humanly possible. ”Listen, we should be dropping in the same pod, so lets make a deal to look after each other, no matter what. Okay?” 

John smiled a little. “Okay.” 

Before any more words of encouragement could be said, the platoon’s lieutenant strode in at a fast pace. The personnel in the room quickly stood at attention. 

“You may be seated.” The lieutenant said in monotone. The shuffling of feet and chairs answered him.

“Alright soldiers, the time has come to do what most of you had signed up to do in the first place.” The lieutenant raised his voice a tiny bit “To kill some aliens!” The lieutenant paused, like he was expecting some kind if cheering or celebration from the group of soldiers, he was only meet with silence and a raised eyebrow or two. 

Jade’s face was expressionless, but she fought the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes. She didn't need a pep talk. she needed direction on what the operation was, how to do it, and the location of the enemy.

“Tough Crowd” he muttered. “Fine. I’ll get on with it. The planet you grunts are dropping on today is named DMP-78-ALPHA. It was originally looked at to be a habitable garden planet due to the dense forest that covers most of the land mass, but this idea was disregarded when it was found that a.) It rains more than 80% of the time on the planet, day and night, and b.) It has a considerable amount of mineable ore under its surface. After this revelation, it became a mining planet for the U.P.C.” The lieutenant droned.

“It was a great mining resource, and for about ten years we got millions upon millions of tons of raw materials off this rock. That's of course until the Alternian Empire decided to abruptly commandeer this planet and 6 others, starting the war you all are fighting in today. Now, until this day, us humans have always been on the defense in this war. We have lost millions, but we believe we have been slowly turning the tide against the trolls.” The lieutenant was slowly raising his voice again.

“This is the U.P.C’s first offensive attack on the Empire in this god-forsaken war, and the premise is simple. Land. Establish communication and contact with the pods landing nearest to you, and kill every troll you see. The entirety of the 5th and 6th armys are landing all across the planet. So if our landing calculations are correct, it’s impossible for your pod to be too far away from another pod.”

“The trolls should be well fortified, but their forces are lacking in size. If our stealth systems worked for shit on the way here, we shouldn't have any problem overwhelming them with our larger numbers. There will be reinforcements, of course, but we should have enough firepower in the space surrounding the planet to knock ‘em out before they get to you.” The lieutenant looked around for any kind of reaffirmation in the crowd, but all he got back was blank and nervous stares.

“If this operation succeeds, we will be able to put a huge jam in the Empire’s war machine, as this planet is one of their main resource suppliers. So do your best. Don’t die. Fight with honor, and I will see every single one of you on the other side. Do I make myself clear?”

“YES SIR!” The platoon replied in unison.

~ 

Tavros Nitram was asleep. He dreamed that he was flying. He dreamed that he was worth something more than he was. For once, he was free. There was just one thing wrong. A quiet, albeit annoying sound in the distance. He slowly faded away.

Tavros woke up with a jolt. Something was wrong. Very wrong. The far-away sound in his dream was 20x louder, assaulting his hear ducts. It was a constant harsh noise, but Tavros couldn’t put his finger on what it was... 

Oh.

It was the invasion alarm. Of course it was the invasion alarm. Tavros sloshed out of his recuperacoon and began to throw on all of his equipment. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of prank or bad dream. The humans had never attacked a Empire controlled planet before. It was fake, or it was a mistake. It just had to be. He made sure he had all the components to his battle designated suit on him. Yes. He made sure he had his gun. Yes. He was out of the door of his quarters and made his way down to the command area.

It was definitely real. Just about every single troll in the outpost was running somewhere. Tavros had never been in a situation like this before, and it was almost comical to watch the situation unfolding before him. To see almost everyone of some iota of power look absolutely freaked the fuck out, running someplace. He would have been smiling if he wasn't freaked the fuck out like everyone else.

He made it to the command center and staging area, among the likes of every other lowbloods in the outpost. Alright what now? They had done what they were supposed to do in case of invasion. He could remember the training guide clearly. 

Section 5. Chapter 2. Rule 7- IN CASE OF INVASION- ALL INFANTRY BELONGING TO BLOOD CASTES DARK RED TO DARK YELLOW WILL REPORT TO COMMAND AND STAGING AREA IMMEDIATELY. 

He was here, and waiting for direction. 

His anxious thoughts were interrupted by some blueblood screaming up front, trying to get everyone's attention, Trying to get above the clamor of nervous voices. “EVERYONE, CHILL THE FUCK OUT AND LISTEN UP, OR I WILL PERSONALLY CULL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU SHIT-BLOODS” Silence eventually fell over the staging area. 

The blueblood kept screaming. “ALL OF YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED TO A KILL-SQUAD. THE NAMES OF YOUR SQUAD-MATES AND THE NAME OF YOUR SQUAD WILL BE SENT TO YOUR PERSONAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE. YOU WILL ALSO BE SENT A LOCATION TO MEET THEM AT. NOW FUCK OFF AND DIE.” 

Sure enough, Tavros got all the information through his device, and he walked towards his meeting area. These new directions didn't give him any ease to his foreboding sense of worry. He just hoped that he could do the best for his new squad. This may be his chance to prove himself! To prove that he isn't like what others say he is. He can do this.

His squad leader, some jadeblood, was already giving some directions on what their tasks were in a harsh, low voice. “We are going to head out south and set defensive perimeter with three other squads. I am the leader of this squad- and if I get any shit from any of you lowbloods I will personally kill you myself. I am not afraid of losing one lousy soldier.” She turned toward Tavros, narrowing her eyes. “You’re late. Did you hear what I just said? If you didn't I will blast out your think-pan out, right here on this deck.

Tavros looked down. So much for proving himself. “I...I heard you” He said quietly. 

“Good” said the jadeblood, her voice dripping with malice. “Your horns look like a fucking joke too.”


	2. Landing

Jade Harley was seriously regretting her life choices.

Her dull nervousness at the beginning of the day slowly began to morph into a heart-pounding anxiety. She began to feel the tendrils of the self-doubt and worry when she left the briefing with John to acquire their equipment from the armoury. While walking there, the walls of the ships long hallway felt like they were slowly getting closer and closer to Jade. Trapping her. Suffocating her. She kept the mounting, stomach-churning fear contained though, for John’s sake. On the outside, she was as stoic as could be.

They walked into the armory, and Jade strode over to her locker. Even with the copious amount of soldiers in the vicinity, Jade noted the strange silence that had befallen just about everyone. Most days, the armory was usually loud and rowdy. After all, all the cool, high-tech guns and equipment were stored there, and nothing got a soldier more talkative and happy then when they were given the opportunity to hold their weapon. But now, all Jade could hear was Velcro and the occasional slam of a locker door. 

Jade slipped out of her military issued clothes and into her under-suit. It was thin and light, but shrapnel resistant. It would also help reduce bleeding by automatically sealing over any detectable major wound, like a scab. It was advanced, and cost a lot in taxpayers money, but it still wouldn't stop a bullet. After the undersuit was on a secured, Jade began to put on her outer layers, which was basically combat uniform with reinforced fabric with the addition of a bulky vest, knee pads, shin guards, and a helmet. These would “stop” the bullets, but Alternian weaponry and ammunition was notoriously hard to pin down, so if you were shot with the wrong type of round, you were a goner anyway.

Suited up and ready to go, Jade picked up the final four items in her locker. The first two were her rifle and sidearm. These were a must for the upcoming hours, and Jade was a very good shot, especially with long-range modifications. (Thanks grandpa.) She slipped the rifle behind her back and the pistol into the holster on her belt. The third was her ammo-pack. It was more of a glorified fanny pack than anything, but it held enough rounds to suit her needs. The fourth was her medical bag. Jade was one of the lucky few in her platoon to receive extra medical training after normal bootcamp. You needed to meet demanding requirements to even get into medic training in the first place. Jade got in, and passed with flying colors, making her a valuable asset. Jade slipped the medical bag on like a backpack, and tied it down tight. She was ready to go.

Right on cue, a blaring announcement played over the loudspeakers.

“All platoons, please report to your designated drop ship. God be with you all.”

Jade quickly walked over to John, and gave him a nervous smile. 

“It’s now or never, right?”

John nodded in agreement. “It’s now or never.”

They together walked the longest walk of their lives.

When they got to the dropship, there were already a couple of nervous soldiers strapped in their seats and ready to go. Jade nodded to them, one nodded back, but the other looked like he was deep in thought, or prayer. Maybe both. As more platoon members piled in to the ship, Jade and John sat next to each other and strapped in. The dropship was only designed to do three things: drop from the main ship, punch through the atmosphere, and land safely enough so the platoon was able to carry out their mission. The actual “dropping” was simple enough for everyone involved. Just sit down, strap in, shut up, and pray to whatever god you believe in that the dropship doesn't disintegrate when it hits the atmosphere.

The odds of a major malfunction were low, but the possibility of instant death before reaching the ground still freaked everyone out. A lot.

The dropship was now full, the platoon was strapped in, and the moment of reckoning was finally here. A automated countdown began to play over the tinny speakers of the ship. The cheap sound quality didn't calm any nerves. 

21...20...19...18...17...

“Hey Jade...” John barley turned his head to Jade, he couldn't even shift his body he was strapped in so tight. “Just know whatever happens, I will always be there for you, and you can always count on me, okay?”

Jade glanced at John’s face. He looked surprisingly calm now. He had seemingly made his peace with whatever was going to happen. 

Jade smiled weakly. “Likewise John. I’ll be here to patch you up, because I already know you’ll run off and do something stupid. So don’t worry.” 

John chuckled.

6...5...4...3...2...1…

The ship dropped, and Jade felt her stomach go into her throat.

~

“This is the most dumb, redundant, bulge-sucking mission I’ve ever been on in my life. Where the fuck are the humans at? I don’t see any.” The jadeblood was getting more and more irritable as the squad got closer to the checkpoint. No other troll on the squad didn't dare to question the rising anger of the jadeblood leader in fear of getting punished, or worse.

They had left the command center about an hour ago, en route to their checkpoint to establish a defensive perimeter with three other squads. How were only four squads in total hold the entirety of the south side against a huge invasion? Tavros didn't know. Tavros was even beginning to suspect that this whole “invasion” was a drill. He didn’t see any invading humans, and the forest was quiet. No weapons were firing. No explosions were going off. Nothing was happening. Nothing at all.

Suddenly, in the distance, Tavros heard a strange noise. It sounded like a deep roll of thunder, followed by a faded crackling. Like something was ripping the sky. There was a silent pause, Tavros strained his hear ducts, listening for anymore sounds in the distance. Then, in an instant, the unmistakable sound of weapon fire was heard echoing from somewhere far away.

The jadeblood’s eyes got wide. “Okay you fucking wrigglers, now we have to run.” The squad ran.

While running to the checkpoint, Tavros heard more instances of the strange, thundering sound. Some sounded distant and faded. Some sounded alarmingly close. While running, Tavros had a alarming realization.

They’re landing ships. The humans are landing in ships.

Tavros really hoped the other squads were going to be at the checkpoint when they arrived, or else they were really fucked over.

The noise from Alternian firepower was increasing, filling up the the former silence of the day. The noise of it came from all around them, and soon enough, all Tavros could hear was the sound of weapons, his boots crunching on the ground, and his blood pusher pounding in his ears. He kept running.

~

They had landed.

A sudden elation had filled Jade. The scariest part was over, and now she had a proper job to do.

The door at the end of the drop ship opened, and light flooded into the dark belly of the ship. From what she could see, they had landed in a thick forest. She was glad. The trees surrounding the ship would provide sufficient coverage. The Platoon collectively unstrapped out of their seats and ran out of the ship to find cover, the best cover in the area seemed to be the trees, so Jade sprinted to get behind one. Once everyone was out, Jade listened up for new commands.

However, before any orders could be given, the unmistakable sound of a bullet whizzed over the heads of the members of the platoon. And it kept happening, until the whole platoon was being peppered by bullets coming in from somewhere in the distance. 

Jade noticed that the officer who was supposed to be giving orders in calm, commanding voice was practically screeching in a unusually high tenor. “EVERYONE GET THE FUCK DOWN RIGHT NOW!”

Jade got down and started blasting her rifle in the general direction she thought the rounds were coming from. Everyone else was seemingly doing the same, firing in seemingly random directions. They were in disarray, and it had only been thirty seconds after the platoon had left the drop ship. So much for the element of surprise.

It was a minute later when the screaming started.

Jade looked over her shoulder. Someone had been hit. She spotted a body on the ground, writhing in pain. It was the young kid everyone on the platoon called “babyface.” He was nineteen, but he looked so much younger. Jade stopped firing, and began to quickly roll towards him.

She knew he was on limited time when she got to him. He had been shot in the right side of his chest, right below his pectoral muscle. She croaked out, “You’re gonna be alright… You’re gonna be…” He wasn't even paying attention to her. He just gazed up at the sky, his eyes slowly scanning the clouds. His breathing was weak. Jade looked up around her. There were four more soldiers laying face down on the ground. She would get to them soon, but first she had to help babyface. She looked back down at him. He was gone.

In the noise of the fray, and in her shock, Jade could barely make out the words that her officer was screaming out, even though he was a mere six yards away. He was hugging the ground, waving his hand and trying to get some attention in the chaotic atmosphere.

“WE NEED TO RETREAT SOUTH-WEST! WE NEED TO RETREAT SOUTH-WEST! GET UP! RUN! OUR POSITION IS COMPROMISED HERE! SOUTH-WEST IS THE LOCATION OF THE NEXT NEAREST DROP SHIP! WE NEED TO GO NOW!” Jade looked at the lifeless body of babyface one last time and then rolled over to her officer.

“Sir! We can’t go! I have multiple wounded that I need to help!” Jade’s throat felt like it was swelling up the more she talked. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. The officer grabbed her by the arm, and for the first time, Jade saw the terror in his eyes.

“Kid, they’re dead, and you will be too if you don't pick up your ass up out of here and leave. We need you alive, and the only way anyone is gonna live at this point is if they retreat to the south-west and link up with the nearest platoon. Do I make myself clear?” Jade nodded. She already could see others starting to sprint south-west. The officer patted her arm.

“Now go.”

Jade got up and ran, bullets flying over her head and around her body, hitting the trees and the people around her. She ran the fastest she ever did. The sounds of gunfire and agony from behind her faded. She kept running. She didn't know how far the other platoon was. All she knew is that they were south-west. She ran as long as she could. How long had it been since she started running? Five Minutes? Ten? She barely could hear the skirmish anymore, and the sound of human weaponry became few and far between, but the sound of Alternian weapons kept going. Until it was silent. All she could hear was the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

She looked around her. She was alone. The other soldiers who had retreated were either ahead of her or dead. She didn't even know many had retreated and lived, and for the second time that day, Jade's stomach went into her throat.

She didn't know where John was.

Jade stifled a sob. She couldn't cry. She had to keep going. That’s the only way she was going to live. With that, she began to quietly creep south-west. 

 

~

The forest seemed like it was closing in around Tavros, slowly suffocating him. They had stopped running a while ago, and it looked like they were the first squad at the checkpoint location.

“Hey, Fuckwad! keep your oculars to the front of you! Humans have been reported in this sector. I’ll cull you myself, shit-blood.” The jadeblood said with a sneer. Tavros gulped and stood up a little straighter. He had been threatened like that before, but it never got less scary. The group trudged on, farther and deeper in the forest’s gaping jaws.

The group reached a clearing in the forest. The canopy of leaves opened up to form a small, irregular beam of light on the forest floor. To his right, Tavros observed an old, abandoned building in the distance, rusting and collapsing in neglect. Probably a old human mining facility. Besides that, nothing but forest surrounded the small troll patrol. Tavros kept staring at the strange building when he heard his patrol leader bark at him again. 

“You little piece of shit. Get distracted one more time on this mission and I swear to the empress I wi-” Tavros heard a dull thunk, and then a sharp crack in the distance. Before he could realize what was happening, Jade blood was splattered onto his face. The jadeblood was dead before she hit the ground. Bullet straight to the neck.

Wait… Bullet?

The realization dawned on Tavros. This was was a ambush. The patrol walked straight into this. The humans had just waited until they were out into the open to start shooting. They were dead.

Bullets were whizzing through the trees now, and Tavros heard the cracking gunfire in the distance. Before Tavros could think anymore about their unfortunate predicament, he needed to get to cover. He started to run to the nearest tree. He heard the other patrol members, some other lowbloods he didn't know the names of, start to return fire. He was frantic at this point, shooting while stumbling backwards. The kick of the gun was pushing him back, his frame was no match for the bone-crushing power of the Alternian firearm.

While running to cover, Tavros tripped over a rock sticking out of the ground. He landed straight on his back. Hard. He felt the air whoosh out of his lungs in a gasp. Human bullets were flying over him, hitting the ground in front of him, and hitting the trees nearby him. He couldn't hear his patrol partners firing anymore. Tavros looked up. They were lying there. Strewn on the dirt, just like the squad leader was. He was panicked now, desperately firing his weapon towards the gunfire. No luck. The gunfire came closer and closer. 

A bullet struck the ground near inches from from his side, shattering from the impact. The fragments buried themselves into Tavros’ side, piercing his armor. The white-hot pain shot across his side and back, and he began to feel the warm blood flow out of his wounds. The shock of the pain started to overtake his thoughts. His vision began to fade, grey tunnels forming in his vision, He just needed to rest for a little while. Then he would cull all these humans. He slipped into unconsciousness. 

...

 

Tavros stirred, slowing opening his eyes, and he looked into the treetops above his head. The wind was slowly swaying the branches, rustling the leaves. It was calm. Peaceful. The attacking humans were gone. It was just him. The serenity was interrupted. Something was wrong, but his groggy mind couldn't quite put its finger on it.

He felt it. A fiery pain ebbing from his abdomen to his back. He could feel the anguish pulsing up and down his body in waves, tendrils of horrible pain brushing from his feet to his horns. He slowly lifted his head up. 

There he was. Unceremoniously lying in the dirt. Still dazed, he reached up and brushed the hole in his armor with his fingertips. Bad Idea. Tavros yelped. A jolt of pain went up his spine and into his neck. He was rightly fucked. Something was wrong with his back. Gritting his teeth, He tried to move his legs. He still felt them, but couldn't get them to move more than one inch without a horrible burning sensation in his spine. He also began to realize that he was laying in a frighteningly large puddle of blood.

His blood. He was the only brown blood in his unit, and the unmistakable hue oozed out of the cracks of his armor.

Tavros’s training kicked in. He looked around his surroundings. He had to get to cover. Being out in the open like this was a certain death wish, and if he wanted to live any longer he needed to find a safe place to assess his injuries. He spotted something. A large tree about 20 feet away, its base covered by some tall shrubbery. If he lay down, he may be able to keep out of sight. 

Tavros rolled over on his stomach, the pain came again, rolling over his body mercilessly. He grit his teeth, preparing himself. 

Tavros began to slowly drag himself across the ground. There was only one thing was on his mind, pain. The burning sensation in his back increased tenfold, like molten steel was being poured along his spinal cord. Tears welled up in his eyes, dripping from his cheeks to the dirt. 

He kept going. 

After what seemed like hours of agony, Tavros finally made it to the vegetation. He crawled into the thick veil of green tangles, obscuring his damaged body from any supposed intruder. It was the only thing he could do. Hide. He doubted that he could do anything to anyone trying to hurt him. He was practically dead as it was. He could scarcely could move at this point, all of his waning energy used up on the horrible crawl. He lay in the weeds, his head leaning up against the base of the tree. 

All he could do at this point was curl up in a ball and die.

Typical. Absolutely fucking typical. Life never gave him a goddamn, nook-sucking break. Here he fucking was, lying in the dirt, unable to move, and on the edge of unconsciousness. What did he have to show for it? Nothing. Not a single thing. He couldn't even get his primary mission completed. 

If the tears weren't flowing earlier, they were flowing now

He should have expected this. To die a shitty death. He was a brownblood. Always being doubted by everyone that was higher than him on the hemospectrum. (Everyone.) Everything fucking hurt. He was crying like a wriggler right now and he couldn't stop. Tinkerbull would be so disappointed. 

In the midst of his sad, solitary pity-party, a muffled noise deep in the woods caught the attention of Tavros. It sounded like a barely audible crunching noise, like someone was stepping on dry sand from afar.. 

Blinking the tears out of his eye’s, Tavros focused on the sound in the distance. Crack. Snap. Cruunnnnnch. He realized something was slowly coming towards him through the forest. Creeping closer and closer to his position. He gulped in air and held it, and tried to be as still as possible. Whatever was coming didn't mean well. If it was Alternian, he’d be culled for being a injured lowblood beyond saving, and humans would kill him anyway. He hoped whoever it was, they would make it quick. 

Walking into the clearing was a solitary human. Crouched down, rifle at the ready. It stopped, nearly 30 feet away, and spoke into it’s strange communication device. 

“Does anyone read? Over.’’ 

Any last shred of air Tavros had in his failing lungs was let out in a unceremonious wheeze. It was a female? The Empire's propaganda assured everyone that the humans were barbaric, gender-less race, only to be reproduced in a toxic sludge of feces and mud. Tavros never really believed it, after all those years being the scapegoat of the empire, he took nearly everything that empire said for granted. Female or not, She had definitely heard him. 

She looked his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain hurts pt.2

**Author's Note:**

> My brain hurts.


End file.
